Funerals of Ion Moţa and Vasile Marin
Encyclopedia
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. The two leaders of the Iron Guard
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard is the name most commonly given to a far-right movement and political party in Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II. The Iron Guard was ultra-nationalist, fascist, anti-communist, and promoted the Orthodox Christian faith...
were killed in battle on the same day, January 13, 1937, at Majadahonda
Majadahonda
Majadahonda is a municipality in Spain, situated 16 km northwest of Madrid, in the Community of Madrid. In 2009 the population was 66,585 inhabitants .It lies alongside the motorway A6 Madrid-A Coruña....
during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
while fighting on the side of the Nationalist Spain.
The funerary train took a tour around the country, with hundreds of thousands of people participating at the commemorations in many cities, holding holy services of the two at several cathedrals. In Bucharest, thousands of young legionnaires dressed in their green shirts marched on the streets of the city.
The result of these manifestation was that the number of members grew threefold and the Iron Guard's party, Totul Pentru Ţară, had an unexpectedly high percentage in the Romanian general election, 1937
Romanian general election, 1937
General elections were held in Romania on 20 and 22 December 1937. It was Romania's last election before King Carol II dissolved Parliament and instituted a royal dictatorship the following February. By the next elections under the 1923 Constitution, Romania had passed through two dictatorships and...
(15.58%), becoming the third largest party in Romania.
Background
The Iron Guard was originally a splinter from A. C. CuzaA. C. Cuza
A. C. Cuza was a Romanian far right politician and theorist.-Early life:Born in Iaşi, after attending secondary school in his native city and in Dresden, Cuza studied law at the University of Paris, the Universität unter den Linden, and the Université Libre de Bruxelles...
's antisemitic and nationalist National-Christian Defense League
National-Christian Defense League
The National-Christian Defense League was a virulently anti-Semitic political party of Romania formed by A. C. Cuza.-Origins:The group had its roots in the National Christian Union, formed in 1922 by Cuza and the famed physiologist Nicolae Paulescu. This group, which used the swastika as its...
, forming around Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
Corneliu Zelea Codreanu was a Romanian politician of the far right, the founder and charismatic leader of the Iron Guard or The Legion of the Archangel Michael , an ultra-nationalist and violently antisemitic organization active throughout most of the interwar period...
. The new group advocated action, "spiritual values" over economic ones, the creation of a "new man" and self-sacrifice as the key for the success of the movement.
As the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
began in 1936, the Iron Guard, like much of the Romanian public opinion, saw it in a simple dichotomy: a fight between atheistic communist
Communism and religion
Marxism and religion refers to the relationship, both in theory and in practice, between the socio-political worldview and political ideology of Marxism, and various forms of religion...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, this point being made stronger by the news that some groups on the Republican side systemetically persecuted members of the Catholic clergy and destroyed churches.
Ion Moţa, the second in command in the Legion, suggested that a number of leaders of the Iron Guard would go to Spain and present a gift (a Toledo sword) to General José Moscardó Ituarte
José Moscardó Ituarte
José Moscardó e Ituarte, 1st Count of the Alcázar of Toledo, Grandee of Spain was the military Governor of Toledo Province during the Spanish Civil War...
, then fight alongside the Nationalist forces. They were involved in the battles near Madrid, and on January 13, 1937, at Majadahonda
Majadahonda
Majadahonda is a municipality in Spain, situated 16 km northwest of Madrid, in the Community of Madrid. In 2009 the population was 66,585 inhabitants .It lies alongside the motorway A6 Madrid-A Coruña....
, Ion Moţa
Ion Mota
Ion I. Moţa [or Motza] was the Romanian fascist deputy leader of the Iron Guard killed in battle during the Spanish Civil War.-Biography:...
and Vasile Marin
Vasile Marin
Vasile Marin was a Romanian politician, public servant and lawyer. A member of the National Peasants' Party until 1932, Vasile Marin become a prominent member of the Iron Guard.- Biography :...
were killed by a shell.
Funerary train
The bodies of the two members of the Legion were put in a mortuary train which left Spain, via France and then Belgium, reaching Berlin on February 6, 1937, where they were met by SS and SA squads, representatives of the German Nazi Party, of the Spanish FalangeFalange
The Spanish Phalanx of the Assemblies of the National Syndicalist Offensive , known simply as the Falange, is the name assigned to several political movements and parties dating from the 1930s, most particularly the original fascist movement in Spain. The word means phalanx formation in Spanish....
and of the Fascist Italy and a big crowd.
After going through Poland, the February 9, the train reached the Romanian border, but instead of taking the shortest route to Bucharest, it made a detour by going through the whole country, from Bukovina
Bukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
to Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
, then Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, Oltenia
Oltenia
Oltenia is a historical province and geographical region of Romania, in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Danube, the Southern Carpathians and the Olt river ....
, Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
and finally reaching Bucharest.
The train stopped at the major railway stations and in each of them, a religious service was performed, with huge crowds watching and then, the Iron Guard leaders urged the audience to join their "Legionary faith".
In Paşcani
Pascani
Paşcani is a city in Iaşi County in the Moldavia region of Romania on the Siret river. , it has a population of 42,172. Five villages are administered by the city: Blăgeşti, Boşteni, Gâsteşti, Lunca and Sodomeni....
, over 5000 peasants gathered to see the mortuary wagon, while in Bacău
Bacau
Bacău is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. It covers a land surface of 43 km², and, as of January 1, 2009, has an estimated population of 177,087. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, and on the Bistriţa River...
, a group of 30 priests performed the services in front of a crowd.
In Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, the most important stop was in Cluj
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
, where many local politicians and intellectuals participated at the commemoration, including Alexandru Vaida-Voievod, Sextil Puşcariu, Emil Haţiegan and Ioan Lupaş
Ioan Lupas
Ioan Lupaş was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian historian, academic, politician, Orthodox theologian and priest. He was a member of the Romanian Academy.-Biography:...
. The service was held by the Bishop Nicolae Colan, who praised the struggle of Moţa and Marin against the "red madness". Ion Agârbiceanu holding a speech in the name of the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic
Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic
The Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic is an Eastern Catholic Church which is in full union with the Roman Catholic Church. It is ranked as a Major Archiepiscopal Church and uses the Byzantine liturgical rite in the Romanian language....
. Great crowds also gathered in Orăştie, Moţa's native town and Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
, where 32 priests conducted the religious rituals.
After crossing the Carpathians, the train went through Oltenia and Wallachia (where it made a notable stop in Piteşti
Pitesti
Pitești is a city in Romania, located on the Argeș River. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated on the A1 freeway connecting it directly to the national capital Bucharest,...
), reaching Bucharest's Gara de Nord
Gara de Nord
București Gara de Nord is the main railway station in Bucharest and the largest railway station in Romania...
in the morning of February 11, 1937.
Funeral procession in Bucharest
It was in Bucharest that the biggest procession took place: as the government lifted the ban of wearing uniforms in public places, thousands of Legionnaires wearing their green uniforms waited for the coffins in front of the railway station. Further tens of thousands of Bucharesters were just sympathisers or simply bystanders who watched the procession and followed it through the city.In addition, a big number of Romanian politicians, professors and students, as well as diplomatic staffs from Italy, Germany and Spain, as well as representatives of the Fascist parties in these countries were present.
After a short religious service, in front of the coffins, the Legionnaires performed the "Ion Moţa and Vasile Marin Oath", an oath written by the leader of the Iron Guard, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
Corneliu Zelea Codreanu was a Romanian politician of the far right, the founder and charismatic leader of the Iron Guard or The Legion of the Archangel Michael , an ultra-nationalist and violently antisemitic organization active throughout most of the interwar period...
. In this oath, they swore that they are "ready for death at any time".
The procession marched toward Saint Ilie-Gorgani Church in central Bucharest, where the bodies were to be kept until their burial. The funeral procession was led by some Iron Guard members who carried the crosses of the two fighters, followed by students, representatives of Hitler, Mussolini and Franco, a large number of priests and a Legionary formation in the shape of a cross.
Burial
Moţa and Marin were interred on February 13, 1937, next to the Headquarters of the movement, the "Green House" (Casa Verde), in a mausoleum specially-built, a decision made by Codreanu in order to inspire the future Legionnaires. The religious services were held by a number of between 200 and 400 priests.Five surviving Legionnaires who fought in Spain took a part in the next part of the procession. Pedro de Prat y Soutzo, the Nationalist Spain's diplomatic representative called the names of those in the legionnaire squad, and for Moţa and Marin, everyone answered "Present!". A similar roll call was found in other fascist movements, too; for example it was the focal point in the 1932 Garibaldian Celebrations, in Mussolini's Italy.
Press
One of the most influential newspapers, UniversulUniversul
Universul was a mass-circulation newspaper in Romania. It existed from 1884 to 1953, and was run by Stelian Popescu from 1914 to 1943 ....
, provided ample updates on the commemoration of the two throughout the country. Even so, the students who were members of the Iron Guard accused the newspaper of not doing enough to support the Legion's activity in Spain, while the director of the newspaper defended himself by saying that more is not possible to do because of the state censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
.
Left-wing newspapers like Adevărul
Adevarul
Adevărul is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in 1871 and reestablished in 1888, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published during the Romanian Kingdom's existence, adopting an independent pro-democratic position, advocating land reform and universal suffrage...
and Dimineaţa chose to ignore the event to prevent it from gaining more public attention.
Politicians
Many of the right-wing politicians, whether members of the Iron Guard or other rival parties, paid their respects to the death of the two fighters.Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga was a Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, poet and playwright. Co-founder of the Democratic Nationalist Party , he served as a member of Parliament, President of the Deputies' Assembly and Senate, cabinet minister and briefly as Prime Minister...
wrote a laudative article called "Two brave boys" in which the two were praised for fighting for the Christian faith, although weeks later, he condemned the rituals of the Legion, including the usage of a pagan symbol, the swastika.
Gheorghe I. Brătianu
Gheorghe I. Bratianu
Gheorghe I. Brătianu was a Romanian politician and historian. A member of the Brătianu family and initially affiliated with the National Liberal Party, he broke away from the movement to create and lead the National Liberal Party-Brătianu.Born in Ruginoasa, Baia County to Ion I.C...
, the leader of National Liberal Party-Brătianu
National Liberal Party-Bratianu
The National Liberal Party-Brătianu was a right-wing political party in Romania, formed as a splinter group from the main liberal faction, the National Liberals. For its symbol, PNL-Brătianu chose three vertical bars, placed at equal distance from each other...
, a splinter group of the National Liberal Party, also paid respects to the two Iron Guard members, calling Moţa one of the "most capable and honest fighters from the Legionary ranks".
Popular opinion
The Romanian public generally sympathised with the cause of Moţa and Marin, because their struggle in Spain was depicted as being part of a fight between communist atheism and Christianity. Many bystanders and non-partisans were impressed by the mystical rituals of the Iron Guard.The Church showed a very vigorous support for the movement, conducting religious services across the country and bishops openly praising Moţa and Marin in their speeches.
Legacy
Before the deaths, the ideology of "self-sacrifice" of the Iron Guard was often seen as mere rhetoric, but now, the Legionary movement was able to argue that it has created the "new man" that was able to give one's life for the ideological goals.The funerals made the cause of the Iron Guard better known and from January 1937 to the end of the year, the number of members of the Legion grew from 96,000 to 272,000. The popularity of the Iron Guard was shown in the December 1937 elections, when it was able to gain 15.5% of the votes, becoming the third largest party in the Romanian Parliament.
The movement was eventually repressed by Carol II's royal dictatorship regime and its revolutionary fascist project failed. Nevertheless, this burial remains as a political manifestation of a size that was not found elsewhere in Romanian history.